North Korea, 2003

I would like at the outset,

on behalf of the delegation of the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea, to congratulate Mr. Julian Hunte,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia, on his

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its fifty-eighth session.

I would also like to express appreciation for the

efforts made by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi

Annan, to strengthen the functions and role of the

United Nations, as required under current

circumstances.

The political situation today is more unstable than

ever. We are confronted by new challenges as we try to

make this century one of peace and prosperity for

humankind. Countries have been designated, on the

basis of extreme national chauvinism and hostility, as

part of an axis of evil and as targets of pre-emptive

nuclear attacks. Unilateral military attacks are being

openly perpetrated against sovereign States under the

pretext of the war against terrorism and on the basis of

suspicions that they possess weapons of mass

destruction.

The principles of respect for sovereignty and

sovereign equality are being violated, and international

relations plunged into increasingly severe

confrontation and antagonism, because of neo-

imperialist practices that are based on the supremacy of

power.

26

As we are well aware, this situation is a product

of unilateralism, which is compelling countries to be

subservient to the high-handedness and unreasonable

demands of the super-Power. My delegation is of the

view that the pressing common task before States

Members of the United Nations is to reject

unilateralism and build a new world in which all

countries, large and small, coexist peacefully.

I would like to draw the attention of the

Assembly to the principled position and sincere efforts

of the Government of the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea to ensure a fair solution to the

nuclear issue between the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea and the United States, which is now

the focus of attention of the international community. I

believe that it will be a positive contribution to the

work of the current General Assembly.

The nuclear issue is, in its essence, an outcome of

the hostile policy pursued by the United States to

isolate and stifle the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea politically, economically and militarily. It

originated from this deep-rooted hostility, which denies

our system and refuses to co-exist with my country.

My country’s consistent position is to resolve the

nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and

negotiations. Denuclearizing the Korean peninsula is

the ultimate goal, the initiative of the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea and the earnest aspiration

of the entire Korean nation.

Accordingly, at both tripartite and six-party talks

on the nuclear issue, my country advanced proposals

aimed at achieving the denuclearization of the Korean

peninsula. The announcement of the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea — United States Joint

Statement of 11 June 1993, the adoption of the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — United

States Agreed Framework on 21 October 1994 and the

subsequent process of their implementation have

clearly testified to our peace-loving stand and its

justness.

The Korean people as well as the entire world

welcomed the historic inter-Korean summit meeting in

June 2000 and its resultant adoption of the June 15

North-South Joint Declaration. They also sincerely

hoped that these developments would lead to peace and

stability in the region.

However, the welcome atmosphere and the

expectations for peace and stability, raised for a while,

suddenly disappeared, and one party has resumed acute

confrontation. My country has been singled out as part

of an axis of evil and the target of pre-emptive nuclear

attack. That was then adopted as a policy and put into

action. In particular, following the visit by the United

States presidential envoy to the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea in October 2002, the United States

reversed black and white, alleging that my country had

admitted to have a secret nuclear weapons programme.

It also proceeded to unilaterally halt the supply of

heavy fuel oil from November 2002 in violation of the

Agreed Framework, and eventually it nullified all the

bilateral agreements.

The United States even put pressure upon my

country to give up its nuclear programme and accept

nuclear inspection with the aim of disarming the

country, while openly attempting to overthrow the

Government by force. The peace now maintained on

the Korean peninsula is entirely thanks to the powerful

deterrence to war, which has been built up by our

policy of independence, the songun policy. Our

deterrence policy is not intended to attack anyone, but

to serve as a means of self-defence to safeguard our

sovereignty in all intents and purposes.

In order to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully

through dialogue, the hostile policy towards my

country should be changed fundamentally. That is the

key to the solution of the nuclear issue. At the six-party

talks in Beijing in late August, my country set as a goal

the abandonment by the United States of its hostile

policy towards us in exchange for renunciation of our

nuclear programme. To achieve that goal, we proposed

to take all necessary measures through a package deal

and to work towards the implementation of these

measures on a step-by-step basis, following the

principle of simultaneous action.

Our proposal contains a detailed account of the

package deal and the order of simultaneous action for a

comprehensive and fair solution of the nuclear issue,

including abandonment of the hostile policy towards

the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the

conclusion of the non-aggression treaty between the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United

States, renunciation of the nuclear programme and

normalization of bilateral relations.

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Simultaneous action is a realistic way to

denuclearize the Korean peninsula, and any opposition

to it is tantamount to rejecting denuclearization. Other

States participating in the Beijing talks also demanded

a package solution and simultaneous action, urging a

peaceful settlement to the nuclear issue. However, the

United States alone repeated its unilateral call for my

country’s abandonment of nuclear weapons programme

first, with no reference to the change of its hostile

policy which is the key to the solution of the nuclear

issue. The United States even behaved imprudently,

asserting that a non-aggression treaty is neither

appropriate nor necessary and that it is not interested in

such a treaty.

The United States went so far as to insist that if

bilateral relations are to be normalized even after my

country scraps its nuclear programme, a full range of

other issues such as missiles, conventional weapons

and human rights should be addressed. In a word, the

position of the United States is that it will discuss the

steps that it will take only after we have taken every

action. Under the present circumstances, in which my

country and the United States are levelling guns at each

other, asking the other party to put down their guns

first does not make any sense. This demand can only be

construed as having the ulterior motive of disarming

and eliminating my country.

The result of the six-party talks has convinced us

once again that the United States is seeking to disarm

us by means of pressure and that it is still pursuing the

hostile policy of stifling our country. Since it has been

proven that the United States is only interested in

turning the six-party talks into a ground for completely

disarming and eliminating my country by all means,

instead of co-existing peacefully with us, we have been

compelled not to maintain any interest in or

expectations for such talks.

As clearly stated, we have never made any

promises with regard to the next round of the six-party

talks. All developments concerning the nuclear issue

prove well that pressure can never be a means for

settlement of the nuclear issue and multiparty talks can

be fruitful only when there is commitment to the

abandonment of the hostile policy towards my country.

Our demand is modest and simple. We just want both

sides to drop their guns simultaneously and co-exist

peacefully.

Having reaffirmed the position of my

Government, which I believe is the most reasonable

and just in addressing the nuclear issue, I hope that the

President and the United Nations Member States have a

correct understanding of our position and actively

cooperate for a fair solution of the nuclear issue and for

peace on the Korean peninsula and in the region as a

whole.

The Government of the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea remains steadfast in its policy and

determination to realize peace and the reunification of

Korea and thus contribute to peace and security in the

region and in the rest of the world. Thanks to the ideas

of national independence and great national unity of

the great leader General Kim Jong Il, the inter-Korean

summit meeting was held in Pyongyang for the first

time since the national division and the North-South

Joint Declaration was made public on 15 June 2000.

That marked a turning point in accelerating national

reunification through the concerted efforts of the entire

Korean nation. Despite ups and downs in recent years,

there are active efforts to realize independent and

peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula under

the banner of the June 15 North-South Joint

Declaration.

This year alone, a series of North-South

ministerial-level talks were held and a groundbreaking

ceremony to re-link interrupted railways and roads took

place. Reunions of separated families and relatives

took place, and various economic exchanges are now

under way.

On 15 August, independence day, a splendid

national meeting for peace and reunification was held

in Pyongyang that demonstrated once again the

aspirations and determination of all Korean nationals in

the North, the South and overseas for reunification.

The Government and people of the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea will achieve national

reconciliation, unity and reunification and contribute to

security in the region and the rest of the world by fully

implementing the 15 June North-South Joint

Declaration, upholding the great idea of the respected

General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

An important task before Member States at

present is to establish a just and equitable international

order and relations, in keeping with the aspirations and

desire of all humankind.

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To that end, it is important, among others things,

to ensure that the principle of respect for sovereignty

and equality is fully observed in international relations.

Unilateralism and high-handedness should be totally

rejected and opposed, as they contravene the Charter

and principles of international law.

In order to establish just international relations,

the functions and the role of the United Nations must

be enhanced and democratized. Democratizing the

United Nations means decisively enhancing the

authority of the General Assembly and reforming the

Security Council.

The General Assembly should be empowered to

review resolutions of the Security Council on such

issues as sanctions and the use of force directly

affecting international peace and security and to submit

its relevant recommendations.

Regarding Security Council reform, we believe

that priority should be given to ensuring full

representation of the non-aligned and other developing

countries that constitute an overwhelming majority of

the United Nations membership.

Our people graciously celebrated the fifty-fifth

anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea on 9 September, thus demonstrating

the dignity and the might of the Kim Il Sung nation,

firmly united single-heartedly around the great leader

General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

The Government of the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea will continue, on the basis of

independence, peace and friendship — the fundamental

ideals of its foreign policy — to contribute actively to

international efforts for a just, equitable and new world

order by further intensifying cooperation with all

Member States.